Trial By Fire
by Daemonchan
Summary: Ken is haunted by Kase's betrayal as their latest missions cause terrifying memories to resurface...


Shiren de Hi

Shiren de Hi 

"Trial by Fire"

A Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction

By Daemonchan

Warnings: violence, bad language, Ken torture

Spoilers: Based on an idea from Episode 4. Maybe some things about Weiss' pasts. I'm also fabricating what happened to Ken after the warehouse burning. We don't really see anything about it so it's free for me to make up.

~*~*~*~

I am burning again. I can feel the flames crawling across my chest, up my arms, my face, and my hair. I am burning. __

Kase! Why won't you save me?

Again and again I can feel the terrible blow against the back of my neck. The pain is excruciating for a moment, but the darkness is worse. There is nothing in the darkness. I scream for you, Kase, why won't you come for me?

I hear my name and come out of the darkness enough that I can see you being dragged away, blood staining the side of your face. The metal click of the lighter…

No! I'm burning! I can't move…Suddenly I wish for the darkness again, just so I don't have to see the white bright flames as they consume me, turn me to ash and leave nothing but my tarnished memory behind…

"NO!!" I screamed into the emptiness of my room, my body jerking against the sheets I had tangled myself in. Even in the darkness I can see the afterimage of the flames, so red against my eyes…

"Ken-kun? Daijoubu ka?"

I whipped my head around in surprise to see Omi and Aya standing in the doorway, Omi's blue eyes wide.

I almost laughed. I must look like hell to them, covered in sweat, bags under my eyes dipping almost onto my cheeks. They know I haven't slept well the last few weeks, each one of them taking their turn to wake me from the horrors that drive me into a screaming fit.

I can't face them. I draw my knees to my chest and nod, not trusting myself to speak. One of the shadows disappears from the square of light on my bed, but I know that Omi has remained behind. I can't face the pity in his eyes.

"Was it Kase?"

This time the laughter makes it past my lips, short and nearly hysterical. "Memories."

I know Omi won't leave until I tell him, whether I really want to or not. That means I can either tell him the truth behind the night horrors, or make up something really good to get him to leave me alone for another day.

Somehow I just don't have the energy to lie tonight.

I pat the bed in front of me, inviting the boy to take a seat. I reach to the night table and turn on a lamp before Omi shuts the door, leaving us in a pool of pale yellow light.

God, even lamps remind me of fire…

I still can't look Omi in the eyes as the bed moves with his weight. My mind races with the thousands of things I want to say…and all them sound stupid, even to myself.

"What is it, Ken-kun?"

Suddenly, everything that has haunted me since Kase's death, since the beginning of our newest mission…

"The fire…I can feel my skin searing away under the flames…"

Omi takes a shocked breath. I sneer at myself. Another secret bites the dust. For a moment, I almost wish for one of Youji's cigarettes, if it didn't involve flame to light one. Anything to calm the nerves that have been frayed to breaking. 

I finally force myself to meet Omi's eyes. I can see the old soul hiding behind that cherubic face, the killer behind the limpid blues. But I also know the good in that killer, the good that would make him forego his own rest and tend to a suffering teammate.

With a sigh, I sit back and remove the T-shirt that I wear to bed…_always_ wear, even on nice days when Youji invites me to sunbathe while leaning out the window to attract more female customers. There is a terrible silence as Omi takes in what I have hidden for so long, the scars on my body that mirror the scars on my mind.

"Oh, Ken-kun."

The pity. I can't take it anymore. For years I had people's pity over the incident. Ken Hidaka accused of gambling…almost burned to death when he couldn't pay his bookies. Buncha fucking lies…

I itch absently at the scar that covers the entirety of my left side, from my upper shoulder to my waist and across to nearly my right nipple. The skin isn't really skin at all, just a lumpy mass of scar tissue that had faded to a dull pink in the years since the fire. 

"Most of my arm was burned too but the chest was the worst, because of the material of my jersey…" _The agonizing stink of flesh and melted plastic…the excruciating consciousness as they peel it away from what remains of my chest…_

I can see the question in Omi's eyes. "How?" I laughed harshly and get up from the bed, replacing my shirt over the scar. No one had ever seen it before and even as close as we were as Weiss, I had still managed to hide it from my best friends.

"It was after I was kicked out of J-League. Kase and I met in a warehouse where he assured me of my innocence." I head toward the window, leaning my still sweaty forehead on the glass. I had never appreciated things like evening cooled glass until after the fire. "Of course, he already knew that I hadn't done those things. Bastard."

Familiar guilt swelled in my chest. I was still torn about having to kill Kase, still haunted by his promise to meet me in hell. The guilt was replaced with anger for having had my faith twisted by someone I would have at one time trusted with my life. For me to kill the one person I would have forgiven any sin for…

That's all gone now. There are others I would forgive anything for, blood brothers who value my life as they do their own…

I have no more words as images of our mission flash before my eyes. Buildings consumed in flame, their remains nothing more than charred skeletons reaching towards the sky. Dummy companies who fronted for Reiji Takatori had owned each structure. Kritiker knew that illegal and dangerous things had been going on there, but each one was burned out and all evidence destroyed before anything concrete could be found.

And now there were victims.

Persia had even been kind enough to show them the blackened remains of the unfortunate squatters who had been caught in the latest fire. I had all I could do not to vomit on the floor, but Omi and Youji hadn't been so lucky. At least Omi had made it to the wastebasket in time.

They were charged with killing the arsonist before he killed anyone else in his mad fires. I know there will be more victims before this is over. There always are.

"Are you okay now, Ken-kun?"

I turn to see Omi standing in the doorway and suddenly, I smile at the pity in his eyes. It is friendly pity and I can see it fading along with his energy.

"Hai, chibi. Oyasumi."

With a sleepy grin he leaves, closing the door tightly behind him. I climb back into bed and for the first time in weeks, I have a dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~

It is late afternoon by the time I drag myself out of bed, stretching with the unexpected luxury. Not that they could have woken me anyway. I was dead to the world.

Still half asleep, I somehow make it to the door, tripping only once on the many soccer magazines that litter my floor. It's still amazing to me, even after years of not playing pro soccer. I can catch a ball whizzing towards me with enough force to knock my block off yet I can't get across my bedroom without tempting fate on the things I leave on the floor. I get to the bathroom, greeting Aya as he leaves, his hair still damp from his shower.

"Ohayou, Aya."

I get no response, but I smile anyway, a genuine gesture I feel like I haven't made in months. Talking with Omi has lifted some kind of weight from my heart.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking."

The humor isn't lost on Aya, and I see him smile slightly as he heads to his room, white towel slung over one shoulder. I find the bathroom filled with steam, mirror still fogged over. I hope there's still some hot water left.

There isn't. Not a drop. I'll have to wait. Maybe I can annoy Youji a little by hanging out with him all day, smelling like sweatsock. I turn as I hear a knock on the door. "Hai?"

"Ken-kun? Manx is here."

The words were all it took to replace the calm I had found with familiar terror. With Manx here so early, there was a chance that we would move tonight…we would face the arsonist…face the fire… I can't breath, the heat is clinging to me, just like the flames…

God, get a grip, Hidaka! The mental yelling helps a little. My chest is still hurting from the panic attack, but I'm relatively sure I can make it through the debriefing without passing out.

Relatively sure anyway.

The basement is already dark and Persia was ending his speech as I reach the bottom of the stairs. Omi turns briefly and I smile reassuringly. At least I hope it's reassuringly. Somehow, my usual confidence was failing me.

"Hunters of the light, hunt down the tomorrow of the dark beasts!"

The screen went dark and Manx turned on the lights. "We have broken through the cover of the dummy companies and cross-referenced Takatori's warehouses with those we have on file as being host to his distasteful activities." She threw a manila envelop on Omi's lap. "I would ask who is in on this, but I'm afraid this may take all of you. Good luck."

She gives us a sad smile as she passes me on the stairs, still thankful that I had missed the latest footage of the arsonist's work. I looked to Youji, who was lighting another of his cancer sticks.

He noticed my glance and turned to me, his shades resting on his nose. "Three more deaths. Homeless kids this time."

I nod numbly and hear Omi open the envelope. "Well, there are five warehouses, but Kritiker has marked only two of them for us to stake out."

Youji sighed dramatically, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I hope we can trust their instincts."

Unbidden, Manx's words come into my head, the night I asked her to cancel the mission on Kase. _If you doubt Kritiker, you will die._ I had learned my lesson. No matter the mission, I would trust that Kritiker knew what they were doing…for now.

~*~*~*~

"Dr. Bombay. Calling Dr. Bombay."

"Youji-kun!" came the exasperated reply. Omi was getting tired of his friend's lame jokes about his codename. It never failed; the blonde always found someway to refer back to the old American show called "Bedazzled" or something like that. Omi didn't understand why the slim assassin found it so humorous.

"Hai, hai, chibi…Don't burst a vessel…"

Omi slowly counted to ten, suddenly very glad that his friend was on the other side of the warehouse, checking the perimeter for signs of entry. So far, the window boards were still intact, the only damaged entrance being the door by which Omi and Youji had allowed themselves entry.

There were no signs of habitation beyond the piles of cardboard and rags that had been the homes of several squatters until Youji had convinced them that moving to a different location was a VERY good idea. All evidence that this place had ever been used for anything other than a warehouse had been wiped away.

__

And still Takatori feels the need to destroy it. Omi was exasperated. It was obvious that the arsonist would not be selecting this building. He wanted to move on to the building that Aya and Ken were currently watching. A surge of concern swelled in his heart.

Ken had looked much better after his long sleep, but Omi could still see the ghosts in his eyes. His friend was becoming exhausted, mentally and physically. He hoped he was okay.

"Bombay?"

Omi was instantly wary of Youji's tone. The earlier humor had evaporated and that meant that something was wrong. He was almost afraid to answer. "H..Hai?"

"I found a love note from our target." He paused. The silence was terrifying. "We need to reach Abyssinian and Siberian. Our firebug is on to us."

~*~*~*~

I wince as my shin makes sharp contact with the leftovers of a table, the only piece of rubble for a good ten-foot radius. Trust me and my goalie instincts to find it…

__

There…

My accident had pushed the table a few inches forward, revealing a length of silver wire that snaked its way under the remains and across the floor to climb up the I-beam supports of the roof. Now that I knew what to look for, I could see the wire everywhere, tiny lines of silver cleverly hidden in and out of the garbage on the floor. I followed the patterns, searching for the detonation focus.

Oh, our guy was good all right. I nearly missed the small jar of solvent sealed with a remote detonation cap. It was nestled in a pile of rags that would burn nicely and ignite the wires.

I looked up for moment, my breath catching in shock. I touched the comm at my ear. "Aya. We've got a problem here."

"What is it?" I could hear his footsteps in the background of his reply. He was still pacing about the perimeter, looking for evidence.

"This guy has so much solvent in here, we're gonna go up like it's Chinese New Year. There's a small bottle for primary detonation and then smaller ones along the support beams. This place will collapse almost immediately and then burn like a cheery log."

I didn't hear Aya's reply as my vision was suddenly filled with a solitary flame, dancing and teasing just in front of my eyes. I shied violently, falling onto my ass. I looked up into the mad eyes of the arsonist, his gruesome face twisted in what seemed to be a smile, a silver lighter held in his hand.

"Ah. You made it."

My heart froze. A trap. We had walked right into a trap.

I couldn't move as I stared into what remained of the man's face, one cool indigo eye watching me with insane mirth. Most of his face was completely burned, only wisps of hair remained on his head. He had no nose and his mouth was nothing but a jagged opening across the scarred skin.

"Do you burn, little cross? Do you burn like the stars?"

__

No, not the burning…Don't burn me! Not again!

He laughed then, realizing the terror in my eyes. "You have been burned before. Like me. Like you will be again!"

He raised his other hand and I realized that it held the detonator. My instincts kicked in, breaking past the paralyzing fear. I leapt up, claws extended, prepared to gut the madman before he had the chance to push the button. He was surprisingly quick as he twisted away, a high pitched laugh escaping his lips. 

Time slowed. I could see his thumb depressing the trigger, heard the deafening explosion…

The fire was everywhere. The wire burned an ethereal white, causing everything they touched to burst into flame. I didn't even see where the arsonist had gotten to as I became aware of what was happening.

I was burning.

The chemical had splashed all over my back. I could feel the incredible heat trying to eat its way through my leather jacket. 

"NO!!"

I thrashed frantically, trying anything to get the flames away from me…my skin…my face… _Kase, why won't you save me?_

I looked up through the flames. Everything was burning now, the roof would collapse soon and I would be buried here, left to burn like I was meant to so long ago…

I began to choke on the acrid fumes, raising my glove to my mouth. I was still burning but I didn't have the will to fight anymore. The fire had come for me…

__

The darkness. I used to think that the darkness was bad. I was wrong. The darkness is better than the fire, better than the light that burns my eyes, the smoke that insinuates itself in my body. It is cool here, and peaceful. 

I was suddenly aware of a painful thumping on my back and I found myself lying on the cool ground well away from the inferno the warehouse had become. 

"Ken?"

Violet eyes peered anxiously into mine, Aya's cool mask slipping for a moment as he realized just how close to death we had come. I opened my mouth to speak but my throat was burned by the smoke. I wheezed, trying to bring some air back into my oxygen starved body.

__

"Hidaka-san. You're going to make a good recovery. The burns on your arms will heal completely…"

The doctor can see the self-hate in my eyes as I look down at my ruined chest. It made me feel like a monster, seeing my skin bloody and blistered. It hurt to live…

"Ken-kun?"

"Omi?" What a pitiful whisper. I am on my stomach, lying across Omi's lap in the back seat of Youji's car. Thankfully I am numb, the burns on my back a dull ache in my mind. I know it will hurt like hell tomorrow.

__

I don't like hell.

I could feel Omi's hands in my hair, smoothing the ash-laden locks. It reminds me of my mother…when I was sick…

__

"You've been burned before."

"No. God, get out of my fucking head."

The soothing hands stop for a moment. "Daijoubu, Ken-kun?"

No. I'm not okay. It will never be okay. Not as long as the terrible fire haunts me, just like Kase's death _the flames are red like blood_ will give me nightmares until the day I join him in hell.

I can't hide my bitterness as the answer slides from my cracked lips. "O-fucking-kay, Omi." 

I give up on trying to remain conscious and I await the demons that took such pleasure in tearing my peaceful acceptance of my life apart. But somehow, tonight, they are kept at bay…I can see three shadowed figures in my dreams…they will save me…they will protect me…

~*~*~*~

Youji sighed as he shifted in his chair again, throwing his leg across the arm. None of them had changed since returning to the flower shop and putting Ken in his room. Aya's red leather jacket was still stained with soot and a thin layer of ash darkened his hair. Omi had passed out on the long couch in the basement, his face strained with worry about his friend.

"Why didn't he fight back?"

The whip thin assassin didn't really expect an answer from Aya. He knew from experience that the red headed leader was blaming himself for not reaching Ken in time, and blaming the dark haired youth for not getting himself out of trouble as well. For Aya, it was always a two-way road and he carried everyone's blame.

Youji reached for his lighter, throwing it away with a curse. It had something to do with the fire…that much they had gotten from Omi before he had taken on the task of treating Ken's wounds. Youji and Aya had looked on in tense silence as the sandy haired boy had carefully peeled the leather jacket from Ken's body. 

Thank God for leather. The tough material had borne most of the brutal heat, saving Ken from anything more than a superficial pinking of the skin on his back. It was like a bad sunburn at most. The boy had been suffering from shock, his skin unnaturally pale and clammy beneath the black ash marks on his cheeks. Omi just said it was from bed memories but that's all he would say.

Youji looked up at the ceiling. _God, what haunts you, Ken? You of all of us…you always seemed to be able to handle the nightmares a little bit better…_

Images of the bright smile that was always on Ken's lips, the genuine happiness with which he embraced his life. He was always the first to comfort his friends with a open ear, after a mission, after Maki…

For the first time in his life, he felt helpless. And one thing Youji Kudou hated most in the world beyond men who hit women was feeling helpless.

He looked down as Aya tenderly covered Omi with a blanket. As the violet eyes turned his way, he knew there would be no sleep for either of them tonight. They would go over the mission details and then figure out just where in the hell they had gone wrong.

Youji was determined now. He would kill the bastard that had caused such a horrible reaction in his friend, personally strangle the life from the mad man who wanted to burn them all…

__

And he would see him burn in hell…

~*~*~*~

Through the haze of drugs I can hear crying…a child's sobbing. I stir slightly, trying to turn towards the sound. It always breaks my heart to be near a child when they are hurting… __

He is on the bed next to me, his entire body cocooned in white gauze. Ah, I remember him now. They had brought him in the other day, just after my treatments that left me gasping for breath and wanting to die. My pain faded away as I realized that the latest patient was just a baby really, no more than five. The doctors stood over his unconscious form and shook their heads.

He won't live for another week. The infection will take him.

I prayed then, asking for my life in return for this child's. No one should have to live out their final days with the incessant pain of the burns, every breath torture…

The flames are red, with kisses of yellow and orange…

Aya's hair is red…Aya…Aya…Youji…Omi…

No! Aya is burning…here…he saved me, but it is not enough. The fire will catch me. It will consume everyone and everything I love…

"Help me!!"

~*~*~*~

Aya stiffened in shock as he heard the horrific scream from upstairs. He was on his feet in an instant, Youji following behind as they dashed up the stairs. They nearly took the door off the hinges trying to get into Ken's room.

They found him huddled on the floor, sheets wrapped about his strong frame as if they were protection. Aya approached first, extending a cautious hand.

"Ken?"

~*~*~*~

There is light in the darkness, soft and pale, like a candle's flame. It is growing brighter and with it comes a voice, a voice I know and trust…

"Ken?"

I look up at the flame haired boy, sure in my heart I should know him, but somehow I don't recognize the violet eyes, so hard at times, yet so sad now. Another boy in the doorway, his hair pale gold, his lips set in a furious line. The names are there, on the other side of the dreams…

"Aya? Youji?"

I was suddenly very awake. I screamed as I saw Aya's hand coming towards me, so close to touching the scar on my chest.

In my honest opinion, I screamed like a girl. But it was enough to give Aya the clue that I definitely did NOT want to be touched right now.

I huddled against the bed, the stinging of my back becoming more prominent. Since it wasn't the mind rending pain of _flesh fused with the unnatural material of the jersey_ a second-degree burn, I figured I'd get to survive for another day. 

My cheeks were burning with shame. They could see me, see what I had hidden from them for so long. The scar was no longer just mine; it had become theirs as well.

"Ken?"

Time to fess up. I thought that I wouldn't have to share this with any of them, ever. I was willing to keep this to myself, to bear the nightmares on my own. Apparently, God had other plans.

I opened my mouth to speak, surprised by the first words that came out. "The little boy died."

Aya said nothing, his solid patience curbing his curiosity. Youji was still in the doorway, jade eyes trained on the floor.

The words overwhelmed me. "He…was so badly burned…they couldn't save him…like they saved me!" I choked as sobs shook me. The tears I had shed so long ago over that boy returned. "I was burned…by Kase. When I left the J-league. Bastard burned me…left me to hell."

Peace stole over me as I told my remaining friends just what I had told Omi. It seemed that confession was good for the soul. I had finally admitted to my friends what I had denied to myself for so long.

Sure the scarred man had been the one with the lighter that started the fire…but it was Kase's hatred and betrayal that had burned me. It was if I could see Kase standing over me, laughing, the yellow flame dancing in his hands…

I looked up when my voice gave out from the crying, my vision blurry with tears. Aya's eyes glinted harshly and Youji's fists were clenched at his sides. They were…were angry for me. Angry for what Kase had done, for what the arsonist had tried to do.

No pity. Just promise. The promise of death. The promise of vengeance.

I smiled as that same promise crept into my own mind, pushing away the flames. There was no giving up now.

Aya stood smoothly. "Wake Omi. We're going after this bastard tonight."

~*~*~*~

Omi was leafing through the pile of papers that had been delivered by Manx. Thank God at least one of us could read that technical stuff and get something out of it.

"It's a unique chemical and it requires intense heat to ignite. But once it does…" That sentence was thankfully left unfinished. My back still felt like I'd gone three hours without sunblock in July. "The wire is a form of magnesium and it burns hotter than just a match. If we cut the wires leading to the catalyst, then only the mag will burn and that should be minimal damage."

I turned at the creak of leather, Youji tipping his glasses, his jade eyes questioning. "How do we even know this crackpot will come back?"

I sighed, the certainty like a weight in my chest. "Because he IS crazy, Youji. He nearly succeed in taking out two of us…and he's been paid by Takatori…probably to get us out of the picture." I swallowed hard. "He'll come back. He'll finish the job."

Aya nodded. "Move out."

~*~*~*~

I didn't question Aya's surety when we arrived at the warehouse that had been staked out by Omi and Youji, even though three others remained as potential targets. The arsonist had been paid to finish his job, both the destruction of the buildings and the deaths of Weiss.

Omi had all the plans tucked away in his head. He would be the first to enter the building, defusing the charges that would bring the rafters down about their heads. It was up to me and the others to keep the arsonist from discovering his activities.

My hands were sweaty under the thick leather of the heavy bugnuks. I resisted the urge to play with the blades, instead focusing on the interior of the warehouse. The small hole I had made in the rotted board nailed to the window afforded me a full view of the arsonist as he danced around, stringing his silver wire everywhere. They all trailed to a central point in the middle of the floor, hidden in the garbage the mad man had so artfully arranged around the support beam.

I touch my comm. "Siberian in place. Target in sight."

Youji's voice returned. "Hai. Bombay is on the rafters. We move at go."

__

Ichi…

My mouth was dry with anticipation. I gripped the boards on the window, ready to break them when the signal came.

__

Ni…

I watched the roof, trained eye picking out Omi's low shadow as it crept gracefully along the narrow beams. There was a slight shimmer as he released one of the magnesium filaments to the floor, successfully defusing more of the chemical.

__

San…

I turned back to the arsonist, shocked to see that he had disappeared from my sight. I slapped frantically at my ear, trying to get someone to answer me. _Kuso! It's not time yet!_

Yon…

I ripped the boards away with a cry of pain, the wood tearing into the tips of my fingers. I leapt through the new opening, running for the mass of explosives at full stride. I skidded to a stop, falling to my knees and pulling away the rags and cardboard with bleeding hands. 

__

Go…

Nothing! There was nothing beneath the rags but the loose ends of magnesium wire. Another trap. 

I screamed in warning to Omi still making his way along the rafters, Aya and Youji crashing through the front door with the car. I caught a glimpse of sandy blonde hair before the rafters erupted in flame.

Omi was falling, his body streaming smoke as it plummeted towards the floor. Long rivers of fire streamed to the floor, igniting the concrete. I didn't hesitate. I ran for my life, leaping through the flames.

Something inside me screamed in terrible pain as Omi's body collided with mine. His momentum drove us both to the floor. I fought to remain conscious, my breath coming in short gasps. Omi was unnaturally pale, the ends of his brown hair singed and smoking. 

"KEN! OMI!"

I could barely hear Youji's scream over the roar of the fire. I took a breath to yell back…

__

He was gone. The little boy had given in. I had heard his heart monitor stop beeping a few seconds before. God, please stop that terrible noise. Death shouldn't have a sound to it…

"C'mon, Ken. We need to get the fuck out of here. This entire place is gonna go up…"

I yelled in pain as Youji lifted me up, one arm wrapped about his shoulders. My ribs burned unmercifully, and there were tiny blisters across my chest where the fluttering ash had settled and eaten through my shirt. "O..Omi…"

"He's with, Aya…Give some help here, Hidaka! You aren't exactly a slight thing."

I tried to get my legs under me. Putting weight on my ankle nearly made me pass out again. "I…I can't, Youji. It…it hurts so much…"

The fire was everywhere now. The roof groaned as the ignited chemicals ate through the supports, raining tin roofing down on us. I heard Youji hiss as he came close to the flames, protecting me with his body.

I looked up, squinting through the flames. It was then that I noticed the black shadow moving through the fire unaffected. It headed for us, a lead pipe gripped in one hand.

Youji couldn't defend himself, his arms wrapped securely around my midsection. There was a sickening thud as the pipe connected with his head and there was suddenly warm blood on my cheek. I didn't even feel the grinding of my broken ribs as we fell to the floor.

"Youji! Youji, wake up!"

The shadow was pulling at me, freeing me from Youji's embrace. I couldn't fight anymore. It was hard to breath and sweat streamed into my eyes. I felt arms hooked under my armpits and I was quickly dragged through the fire, still watching in horror as the flames danced in to claim Youji's still body.

The shadow was speaking softly to me as we left the flaming ruin, tears of helplessness streaming freely down my blackened cheeks. "Soon, little cross. The fire will have you soon."

I gave into the darkness that swarmed up to consume my vision and the horrible prophecy I had been denying since killing Kase.

__

You will burn in hell.

~*~*~*~

Omi was nearly sick with worry. He had come to outside the burning warehouse, his ears ringing from being so close to the explosion. He looked up to see Aya pulling a slightly smoking and obviously seriously injured Youji from the fire.

__

Ken. God. Where was Ken?

Aya laid Youji on the ground next to Omi, his violet eyes checking his companion for other signs of injury beyond the huge black and blue mark that had blossomed on the side of Youji's once pale face. Blood had caked in the honey blonde hair, making it black. He stirred slightly as Aya probed gently for broken bones.

"Ken? That…bastard…took…" The words were too much effort. His body went limp as he lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Omi's heart went cold. Did Youji just say…

Aya stood quickly, one hand going for something in his pockets. He pulled out a small black box and was awarded with a strong beeping noise. Omi almost cried with happiness. Aya had put a tracker on Ken.

The red haired boy fixed Omi with his serious gaze. "I'm going after Ken. You take care of Youji."

As much as he would have fought that statement any other time, Omi knew it was probably Ken and Youji's only hope. He smiled a little. "Anou, Aya-kun? When did you put a tracker on Ken?"

Omi almost missed Aya's smile in return. "I put trackers on all of us. It's much easier to rescue people when you know where they are." With that he ran in the direction indicated by the small device, leaving Omi with his injured friend…and his prayers.

~*~*~*~

__

It was raining, the sky falling in sheets of silver water, leaving me alone with the small granite marker that was all that remained of the boy who had died of his burns in the ward with me. The papers said that an arsonist was responsible, a man paid to burn the house to the ground. Motive was unknown. Two other names were written in neat kanji above the boy's; his parents had died trying to get him out of their house. Now they were together at last.

I knelt on the black stone, rainwater soaking into my jeans. It was too wet for incense to burn, but I bowed my head in prayer and prayed for the little boy who had gone…instead of me…

I looked up into the gray sky, the rain becoming rivulets on my cheeks. Soon I was soaked, the cool water drenching through my windbreaker and thin shirt, oddly comforting on the burn across my chest…

I woke with a start, my body screaming in protest. I was lying on my side on the floor of a filthy office area, staring across the floor to the ruined door that would lead to freedom. But I wasn't thinking of escape.

I remembered the boy. Shinji Yoroshi. Aged five years. Beloved son.

I remembered that in that moment I promised myself that I would do anything I could to protect the innocent. Though his burning wasn't my fault, I swore that scum like the man who had dared set fire to the house and kill defenseless people wouldn't be allowed to walk the face of the Earth.

At the time, I thought about law enforcement. But then Kritiker approached me. My opportunity was knocking and I certainly wasn't about to turn it away. Not when kids like Shinji needed me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I wasn't aware that I was no longer alone. The acrid stink of charred wood and metal alerted me to my captor's presence.

"Hello, firefly."

A manic gleam crept into the psycho's remaining eye. He knelt in front of me, the remains of his scarred face only inches from my own. His fingers laced painfully in my hair. A silver blade flashed before my eyes, making me cringe slightly when it disappeared towards my chest. I felt the cool metal on my neck and a ripping noise followed. He tore away what remained of my shirt, tracing the line of my collarbone and shoulder with his blade.

"You have been kissed by the flames. Like me."

He pushed at the new burns on the old scar. I ground my teeth against the new pain, refusing to cry out. _I will not let the fire win…_

"Hmm…the fire wants you back. It wants to finish what it started."

Something within my mind snapped. The fire be damned and Kase along with it. This asshole was killing innocent people _no motive known_ for the jollies of watching them burn. He stepped back as he saw the change in my eyes, the sudden surety that once I got my strength back, he was going to die.

~*~*~*~

Aya cursed his way through the thick underbrush, resisting the urge to hack it back with the blade of his katana. The tracker in his hand was beeping insistently, pointing to the tiny building below his vantage point. It was an old office building, more than half of it burned out. The half that remained had a large window that allowed Aya to see everything that was going on in the office.

The assassin could see the change overcome Ken's pain wracked form as the arsonist poked at the exposed chest. The form stiffened and stared up at his captor with dead slate gray eyes. Aya nearly laughed as he watched the scene, dropping the tracker into his pocket. 

__

Should've taken his gloves, baka. You'll find that this kitten has claws. 

He started down the slope, creeping carefully among the brush and then along the nearly ruined wall, stopping just to the side of the window. He peered carefully around the corner, patiently awaiting his chance to wreak a little havoc.

~*~*~*~

The target had his back to me, setting up what looked to be a large container of his chemical on the floor. I forced myself into a sitting position, ignoring the jags of white-hot pain that flared from my ribs. All that mattered was my chance…

He didn't even turn as I took a heavy step towards him. My legs felt like lead and one of my ankles was probably broken. I phased the pain away, my mind repeating a simple mantra. _For Shinji._

I was standing just behind him now, listening to his quiet humming. I clenched my fists, comforted by the smooth steel of my blades as I summoned the strength to strike the arsonist down.

The claws had given me away. He dodged clumsily to one side and my momentum carried me into the container of chemicals. The glass broke beneath my weight and suddenly I was soaked to the skin with the super-flammable substance. He laughed maniacally as I fought my way back to my feet, ignoring the cuts that had been added to my list of injuries. The liquid streamed from my body, running into a puddle on the floor.

I heard the unmistakable scratch of a match being lit and I looked up to see the mad man holding the tiny flame to the end of a magnesium filament. He watched expectantly, longing to see the fear in my eyes as I watched the fire.

I laughed. "You're nothing without your flame to back you up."

The mirth disappeared from his single eyes as he realized that he could no longer control my fear. His power was gone, and with it, his sanity. With a scream, he abandoned the match, letting it die out on the floor. He charged towards me, the grotesque mask of his face twisted in fury.

I stood calmly as he approached, and felt a small smile on my lips as I swept my arm up, claws buried deeply within his midsection. Blood mingled with the chemical on my body and for once, I didn't feel guilty. I felt avenged.

I let the body fall to the floor, his own chemicals soaking into his clothing. I heard the scrape of boot on wood and looked up to see Aya standing in the doorway, long katana in his hand. He nodded once before heading towards me, reaching me just in time to catch me as my determination gave out. I collapsed into his arms and gave into the oblivion.

__

And the flames were no more…

~*~*~*~

It had been too long. Youji waited patiently in the car, still terrified to light a cigarette near me for fear of how I'll react to his lighter. Maybe it will help curb his addiction.

I made my way along the manicured paths, still knowing the way even after so many years. As I approached my destination, I drew a single match and long stick of incense from my pocket.

I knelt before Shinji's grave, my heart at peace for the first time since my burning, since killing Kase. I felt that I had kept my promise to him, with Weiss. His spirit had been avenged in a way.

I lit the incense, staring at the matching glowing in my fingers. With a gentle breath, I blew it out and watched the smoke curl its way heavenward, and with it, my thanks.

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